STEAM CONDENSERS

The primary purpose of the condenser is to

condense exhaust steam from the turbine
and thus recover the high quality feed
water for reuse in the cycle.
It Condenses water at a pressure less than
atmospheric pressure.
Condensation is done by removing heat
from exhaust steam using circulating water

ADVANTAGES OF CONDENSERS
It increases the work output per kg of steam
supplied to the power plant. The condenser is
maintained vaccum pressure so the expansion on
the turbine is more hence work done is high.
In a

condenser by lowering the back pressure

only a few KPa increases the work of turbine.

Reduces the specific steam consumption As the
temperature of feed water is around 45-50 degree
celcius.
Hence Improves the thermal efficiency of power
plant

 Saves the cost of water to be supplied to boiler

--as the condensate is supplied to the boiler
cleaning of the feed water is not required.
Deposition of salt in the boiler is prevented

Condensing power plant are

more efficient than noncondensing type.
Hence all modern power
plant are condensing type.

DISADVANTAGES OF CONDENSERS
It increases the initial set up cost b.coz
additional components are to be added such as
cooling tower, vacuum pump, water circulating
pump..

Components of Condensing
Plant
CONDENSER: In which the
exhaust
steam
of
the
turbine is condensed by
circulating cooling water.
CONDENSATE
EXTRACTION PUMP: to
remove the condensate
from the condenser and
feed it into the hot-well.
The feed water from hotwell is further pumped to
boiler.
AIR EXTRACTION PUMP:
to remove air from the
condenser, such a pump is

COOLING TOWER:

1. The
Ferro
concrete
made
device
(hyperbolic shape) in
which the hot water
from the condenser is
cooled by rejecting heat
to current of air passing
in the counter direction.
2. Ring troughs are placed
8-10m
above
the
ground level.

Desirable quality of a good

condensing Plant
Minimum circulating water
Minimum cooling surface area per
KW capacity
Maximum steam condensed / square
m of surface area.

COMPARISION
Jet condensers

Surface condensers

1.

Steam and water comes in direct

contact.

Steam and water does not come in direct

contact.

2.

Condensation is due to mixing of

coolant.

Condensation is due to heat transfer by

conduction and convection.

3.

Condensate is not fit for use as

boiler feed until the treated cooling
water is supplied.

Condensate is fit for reuse as boiler feed.

4.

It is cheap. Does not affect plant

efficiency.

It is costly. Improves the plant efficiency.

5.

Maintenance cost is low.

Maintenance cost is high.

6.

Vacuum created is up to 600 mm of

Hg.

Vacuum created is up to 730 mm of Hg.

S.No

What are Direct Contact

Condensers?
Exhaust steam and cooling water come in
direct contact and mix together.
Steam condenses suddenly achieving the
temperature of cooling water.
Condensate and cooling water are
continuously taken out.
Used in special cases
When dry cooling towers are used
Geothermal power plants
Plants that use temperature differences in
ocean waters

Advantages and Disadvantages of

Direct contact type
Advantages
Heat exchange through direct contact, thus less
water quantity required.
Construction is simpler thus less costly.
Maintenance is simple and cheap.
Requires small floor space.

Disadvantages
If condensate contains impurities cannot be reused.
Low vacuum efficiency hence not suitable for larger
plants.
More power required for air pump.

Spray Condenser(Low level

Jet condenser)

Modern direct contact condenser.

Water is sprayed into the steam.
Part of the condensate , equal to the
turbine exhaust flow, is sent back as
feed water.
Rest is cooled in a cooling tower. Cooled
water is sprayed into the turbine
exhaust, process is repeated.
Continuously circulated cooling water
must be pure.

The cooling
water to be lifted
into the condenser
up to a height of
5.5m.

It
is
having
disadvantage
of
flooding the steam
turbine
if
the
condensate
extraction
pump
fails.

 Energy balance
m&2 h2 m&5 h5 m&3 h3

Cooling water to steam ratio

m&5 h2 h3

&
m2 h3 h5

h2-h3 is larger since large latent heat

of vaporization where as h3-h5 is
much smaller.

HIGH LEVEL JET CONEDNSER/

BAROMETRIC JET CONDENSER
The cooling water is made to
cascade down a series of baffles in
the form of water curtains or sheets.
The static head compresses the
mixture to atmospheric pressure and
thus replaces the pump.
The steam condenses and the
mixture goes down a tail pipe to the
hot well.
The larger the H the easier it is for
the condensate to flow down to the
hot well.

 Baffles are used which increases the

surface to volume ratio.
Has a long vertical tale pipe (at least
10.23m)
The outlet of the tail pipe must be at
least 6 below the minimum level of
the water in the hot valve.

Disadvantages of Barometric
Condenser

The condensate cannot be reused in

boiler since it is contaminated by
cooling water.
Has a long vertical tale pipe (at least
10.23m) making it difficult to access.
Advantages of Barometric Condenser

Jet Condenser
Water enters from the top through nozzles. Its is
surrounded by guide cones.
Steam entering from the side is guided on to
the surface of water through guiding cones.
Due to decreasing area of guide cones, potential
energy is converted into kinetic energy.
Decrease in potential energy causes pressure
drop resulting in suction.
Suction pulls more and more steam for
condensation.

3. EJECTOR JET CONDENSER

The
cooling
water
enters the top of the
condenser
at
least
under a head of 6m of
water pressure with the
help
of
centrifugal
pump.

This system is simple,

reliable and cheap.

Disadvantage of mixing
of condensate with the
coolant.

Due to decreasing area

of
guide
cones,
potential
energy
is
converted into kinetic
energy.

MERITS AND DEMERITS OF SURFACE CONDENSERS

1.

2.
3.
4.
5.

MERITS
No mixing of cooling
water and steam, hence
the condensate directly
pumped into the boiler.
Any kind of feed water
can be used.
Develops high vacuum,
therefore
suitable
fro
large power plants.
Require less power to run
the air extraction and
water extraction pump.
System is more efficient.

DEMERITS

1. Require large quantity of

cooling water.
2. System

is

complicated,

costly and requires high

maintenance cost.
3. Require large floor space
since it is bulky.

SURFACE CONDENSERS
The exhaust steam and water dont mix
with each other.

Surface condensers are of two

types
SURFACE
CONDENSERS
In this steam flows
outside the network of
tubes and water flows
inside the tubes.

EVAPORATIVE
CONDENSERS
In this condenser shell
is omitted. The steam
passes
through
condenser tubes, the
water is sprayed while
the air passes upward
outside the tube.

DOWN FLOW(DOUBLE PASS SURFACE CONDENSER)

It consist of air tight

cast
iron
cylindrical
shell.
It has cover plates at
the end.
the
shell,
a
Inside
number of cooling water
brass tubes are there.
In between the tubes
support
plates
are
provided
to
prevent
tube vibration.

 Baffels
plates
partitions
the
Steam enters from
water box into two
the top and leaves
sections.
from the bottom by
Cooling
water
the condensate
enters at the lower
extraction pump.
half of the water
It is a cross flow
box
and
after
surface condenser.
passing
through
the cooling water
tubes
leaves
through the upper

CENTRAL FLOW SURFACE CONDENSER

Air extraction pump is
located at the centre of
the condenser tubes.
with
the
help
of
Condensate
extraction
pump. condensate is
extracted
from
the
bottom of the condenser
.
Provides
the
better
contact of steam with
the cooling water tubes.
Due to large passages
the pressure drop of
steam is reduced.

Inverted Flow
Steam enters the Steam condenses
to
water
and
bottom of the shell
condensate
flows
and moves upward.
down.

Air
extraction
Condensate
pump is located at
extraction pump is
the top.
located
at
the
bottom.

Regenerative Type
In this type the condensate temperature is raised by reheating
the condensate passing over exhaust steam.
Working of Regenerative Condenser
- majority of the steam condenses in the main tube and fall to
the
condenser
hot
well.

- a portion of the steam, however, is distributed by means of

the design of the baffle plates so that it will direct this portion
of steam to bypass the cooling tubes and flow directly to the
bottom of the shell in order to reheat the falling condensate
(the condensate which was the "most of the steam", that is
now condensed by means of the cooling medium in the tubes)

- this process will make the temperature of the condensate

from the hot well to approach the saturation temperature at
condenser
pressure

- when the condensate is near the saturation point, the

unwanted corrosive non-condensable gases such as oxygen

Regenerative Type
In this type the condensate temperature is raised by reheating
the condensate passing over exhaust steam.
Working of Regenerative Condenser
-Baffle plates in a shell and tube condenser are arranged in a
configuration which allows most of the steam that enters the
shell of the condenser to come in contact with the cooling
tubes containing the cooling medium.
- majority of the steam then condenses and fall to the
condenser
hot
well.

- a portion of the steam, however, is distributed by means of

the design of the baffle plates so that it will direct this portion
of steam to bypass the cooling tubes and flow directly to the
bottom of the shell in order to reheat the falling condensate
(the condensate which was the "most of the steam", that is
now condensed by means of the cooling medium in the tubes)

- this process will make the temperature of the condensate

from the hot well to approach the saturation temperature at

EVAPORATIVE CONDENSER
The exhaust steam is passed

through the series of gilled

tubes called condenser coils.
Thin film of cooling water
trickles over these tubes
continuously
from
water
nozzles.
During the condensation of
steam, this thin film of water
is
evaporated
and
the
remainder water is collected
in the water tank.
The condensate is extracted
with the help of wet air pump.
The air passing over the tubes
carries the evaporated water
in the form of vapour and it is
removed with the help of
induced draft fan installed at
the top.

MERITS AND DEMERITS OF JET CONDENSERS

MERITS
1. Less
quantity
of
cooling
water
is
required to condense
the steam.
2. Simple
in
construction and low
in cost.
3. Does
not
require
cooling water pump.
4. Less
space
is
required.
5. Low
maintenance

DEMERITS
1. The condensate is a
waste.
2. Less suitable for high
capacity plants.
3. Large length of pipes
required,
hence
piping cost is high.
4. Loss of vacuum due
to leakage of air from
long pipings.

MERITS AND DEMERITS OF SURFACE CONDENSERS

1.

2.
3.
4.
5.

MERITS
No mixing of cooling
water and steam, hence
the condensate directly
pumped into the boiler.
Any kind of feed water
can be used.
Develops high vacuum,
therefore
suitable
fro
large power plants.
Require less power to run
the air extraction and
water extraction pump.
System is more efficient.

DEMERITS

1. Require large quantity of

cooling water.
2. System

is

complicated,

costly and requires high

maintenance cost.
3. Require large floor space
since it is bulky.